Daily Archives: April 26, 2017

The Ministry of Tourism has projected to collect about 11 million Kwacha through tourism levy for this year.

This follows the introduction of tourist levy by Government, which came into effect on March 1, 2017.

Ministry of Tourism Principal Inspector, Mwinga Chilube says the levy is a tourist tax that will be collected from persons both local and international, who utilize applicable tourist enterprises in Zambia.

Ms Chilube says the levy is a public fund that will not go to the national treasury but retained in the tourism sector for various developmental activities.

She says the Ministry of Tourism is working in collaboration with ZRA, the Zambia Revenue Authority to collect tourism levy.

She was speaking during a presentation at the tourism levy sensitization and education program in Chipata this morning.

Ms Chilube mentioned some of the activities the tourism levy will be used for as tourism marketing and promotion and diversification of the tourism products.

She says the levy will assist market and improve tourism in order to make Zambia a top five tourist destination area in the sub-Saharan Africa region.

The Principal Inspector urged people in the hospitality industry in Chipata to comply with the law by paying tourism levy without fail.

The Chipata Magistrate Court has set May 8th, 2017 as day of judgement in a case where five traffic police officers were arrested for alleged corrupt practices.

The five police officers yesterday appeared for mention before Magistrate Pauline Mulenga.

Facts of the matter are that Cletus Lungu, Malumo Sitwala, Felix Chalamba, Exildah Kabanda and Abigail Samatunga in September 2013 allegedly solicited for cash, gratification from motorists at a check point along the Chipata-Lundazi road.

The five officers were arrested in September, 2013 by ACC, the Anti-Corruption Commission.

Meanwhile, the Chipata Magistrate court has sentenced Gerald Tonga of Nabvutika Compound to twelve months imprisonment with hard labour for house breaking and theft.

Facts of the matter are that on March 20, 2017, Tonga broke into the dwelling house of Elisha Banda through the window and stole beddings and female clothes all valued at 500 Kwacha.

The prosecution called five witnesses to prove its case while Tonga did not call any witness in his defence.

In mitigation, Tonga said the prison conditions were very bad and that there was no one to look after his family, which he sustains through piece works.

He asked for forgiveness adding that he had learnt a lesson from what he did.

But Magistrate Mulenga said she considered what was said in mitigation that he was a first offender and sentenced him to 12 months imprisonment with hard labour with effect from
the day of arrest to deter would be offenders.

Sable Construction Company says it has not been paid money to start working on township roads in Chipata.

Managing Director, Iye Alloo told Breeze News that he is still waiting for money from government to start works on the township roads.

Mr. Alloo says the company has been using its own resources to conduct some works on the roads.

Mr. Alloo says engineers are currently mobilizing machines so that they can start working on the roads as soon as they receive funding from government, since the rain season is over.

He however, did not mention how much money the company is expecting from government, stating that he has no information at the moment about any payment that has been made to the company.

On Tuesday, Chipata Central Constituency Member of Parliament, Moses Mawere told the media that Government has started paying contractors including Sable so that they start working on stalled township road projects.

The stalled township road works in Chipata include Kalindawalo Road, Katopola-Walela-Chizongwe and Findeco road, which are being constructed at a cost of 153.5 million Kwacha.